Chapter Summaries

Raphael contracted with Pain, a self-aware Sealed Artifact, to serve as his messenger in exchange for fresh Sequence 6 corpses. Pain delivered Raphael’s letters, including one to Audrey, who was surprised to discover that her new messenger was a flesh-and-blood human.

• Raphael recognized Pain as the Sealed Artifact that had taken one of his zombies and agreed to pay him with fresh corpses for delivering letters.
• Raphael and Pain signed a messenger contract witnessed by the Original Creator, and Pain reacted with astonishment and vague recognition.
• Raphael wrote to Audrey, Xio, and Carter with instructions for summoning Pain, then sent the letters through him.
• Pain appeared in Audrey’s villa, delivered Raphael’s letter, and vanished before Audrey could question him.
• Audrey read Raphael’s letter and discussed with Susie whether real-world creatures could become messengers.

Raphael spent New Year's Day preparing for his role as a serial killer, then joined Xio and Fors to watch fireworks and celebrate. Meanwhile, Leonard investigated the murder of grain merchant Besip and connected it to a series of killings tied to the seven deadly sins.

• Raphael met Xio and Fors at the Municipal Square fireworks display, and agreed to have a drink with them afterward.
• Leonard arrived at Besip's villa to investigate the grain merchant's murder, finding barley stuffed into the victim's mouth and a mural depicting gluttony.
• Leonard and Cliff connected Besip's murder to an earlier case involving two greedy grain merchants, and Leonard recognized the pattern as the seven deadly sins.
• Leonard learned that three of Loen's Four Great Grain Merchants had been killed as grain prices soared, worsening hardship for ordinary people.
• Raphael, Xio, and Fors returned to Fors's rented home and toasted the New Year with beer and snacks.

Raphael spread information about the Beship murders by staging dramatic leaflet drops across Backlund, while Leonard uncovered clues linking the crimes to Raphael but found no way to divine his location. After using his five Zombies to distribute the leaflets, Raphael fully digested his Zombie potion.

• Raphael joked with Xio and Fors about his goals for the new year, keeping his real hope of surviving to advance to demigod to himself.
• Leonard found a letter warning of the Beship murder and a painting titled "Greed" that connected the crime to the earlier case, but divination revealed nothing about Raphael.
• Leonard told Cliff to stop the newspapers from reporting on the murders and causing public panic.
• Raphael sent five Zombies to scatter leaflets about the Beship case at crowded squares, using Creeping Hunger to burn away each Zombie's remains after it exploded.
• Raphael felt his Zombie potion finish digesting and paid the coachman ten pounds for the fare.

Raphael fully digested his Zombie and Serial Killer potions after the murders, then planned his advancement and sought Emlyn White to explore the Wraith ruins. He found Emlyn surrounded by dolls, leaving him surprised by his acquaintance’s hobby.

• Raphael painted “Gluttony” after realizing the murders had rapidly digested most of his Serial Killer potion.
• A dreamlike voice made Raphael confront his indifference to killing, and he fully digested the Serial Killer potion.
• Raphael considered advancing to Wraith and planned to ask Mr. White to explore the ruins with him.
• On the fifth, Raphael confirmed the ruins remained and learned that the Church of the Evernight Goddess had shut down the Harvest Church.
• Raphael visited Emlyn White and found him changing a doll’s clothes in a room full of dolls.

Raphael recruited Emlyn to accompany him to Fourth Epoch ruins and help prevent two unfamiliar Sequence 5s from taking all the spoils. After Emlyn reported the plan to Mr. Fool, Klein arranged an impromptu Tarot Club gathering, and Emlyn appeared in the Moon’s seat.

• Raphael asked Emlyn to join an expedition to Fourth Epoch ruins and offered him most of the spoils or 3,000 pounds if they found nothing.
• Emlyn accepted, warning that he might leave Raphael behind if they faced mortal danger.
• Emlyn told Mr. Fool about Raphael’s invitation and his role in guarding against the other Sequence 5s.
• Klein concluded that Raphael knew nothing about the Tarot Club and summoned Justice, Magician, and Moon to an impromptu gathering.
• Emlyn received the World’s notice, excused himself from his parents, and appeared at Sefirah Castle in the Moon’s seat.

Klein arranged for Audrey, Fors, and Emlyn to join Raphael’s exploration of Fourth Epoch ruins, then revealed that the two Sequence 5 helpers were members of the same organization as Emlyn. Raphael realized the expedition had become an outing for Dwayne Dantès’s organization, the Tarot Club, and the four met in Backlund Park to begin their operation.

• Klein told Audrey and Fors that he would assign them to help Raphael explore the ruins, and asked Emlyn to tell Raphael that the two Sequence 5 helpers belonged to his organization.
• Raphael learned from Emlyn’s letter that his helpers were members of the same organization, then discovered Audrey and Fors also had operations involving him.
• Raphael concluded that the exploration had become an outing for Dwayne Dantès’s organization and learned from Mr. Fool that it was called the Tarot Club.
• Two days later, Raphael, Audrey, Fors, and Emlyn met at Backlund Park, where Audrey remarked that Raphael had invited Emlyn to join them.

Raphael led Audrey, Fors, and Emlyn into underground ruins south of Backlund, where they found glowing other shore flowers and desiccated corpses patrolling the streets. When Raphael tried to control a group of the corpses, he sensed the Death God's aura, leaving the explorers facing an unexpected danger.

• Raphael brought Audrey, Fors, and Emlyn to an abandoned underground ruin and explained that he believed it contained the Wraith characteristic he needed.
• The four descended through a hidden passage into a vast underground city filled with glowing other shore flowers.
• Raphael and the others hid as three desiccated corpses marched along a ruined street, and Raphael concluded that the Southern Continent Allied Forces had altered the ruins.
• The group waited for another patrol and prepared to capture its three desiccated corpses for clues.
• Raphael tried to turn the corpses into Zombies, but sensed the Death God's aura within them.

Raphael and his team defeated a Wraith in the ruins and recovered its Beyonder characteristic, but a voice from the other shore flowers stopped them from escaping. It mistook their visit for a marriage proposal.

• Raphael, Emlyn, Audrey, and Fors defeated the dried-corpse soldiers, and Raphael destroyed their remains after confirming their Southern Continent origins.
• The group advanced through the ruins, avoiding more Yuhu Soldiers, until they reached a building surrounded by dense other shore flowers.
• A Wraith attacked from the ceiling, but the team combined their abilities to kill it, and Raphael extracted its Beyonder characteristic.
• The other shore flowers stirred, and an unfamiliar force prevented Raphael and the others from leaving with Traveler.
• A clear voice said it had thought they came to propose to it.

Raphael and the Tarot Club members encountered a powerful woman from the Fourth Epoch who guarded an ancient city. She revealed that the Evernight Goddess had secretly preserved a teleportation array used to visit the Forsaken Land of the Gods.

• Blood-red petals carried Raphael, Audrey, and the others to a Southern Continent-style palace surrounded by ruins.
• Raphael politely explained their search for a characteristic, and the woman called him a lunatic before asking about the Death God, the Evernight Goddess, and the Numinous Episcopate.
• Raphael told her about the war between the Church of the Evernight Goddess and the Church of the God of Combat, earning permission to ask one question.
• Raphael asked why she guarded the city, and she explained its history as a teleportation hub and the battle that helped bring down Solomon's First Empire.
• The woman revealed that the Evernight Goddess had secretly left one teleportation array intact, and Raphael inferred that she had used it to visit the Forsaken Land of the Gods.

Klein watched Raphael and his companions confront Yalix Eggers, a strange angel who tried to ensnare them into marrying her. Mr. Fool and the Lord of Evil Desires intervened, and Klein realized that Raphael and the Lord of Evil Desires were separate beings.

• Klein watched Audrey, Fors, Emlyn, and Raphael in the underground ruins while sensing another powerful gaze observing them.
• Yalix Eggers claimed she had come to destroy the teleportation array and demanded to know whether Raphael had come to propose to her.
• Raphael introduced Emlyn as a suitable husband, but Yalix threatened to turn them into corpses and warned that they were already partly in the Spirit World.
• Yalix used her power to daze Raphael and his companions, prompting Mr. Fool and the Lord of Evil Desires to appear together.
• The Lord of Evil Desires awakened Raphael, who used Hypnosis and his Traveler ability to guide Fors, Audrey, and Emlyn away through the Spirit World.
• After Yalix retreated and the two powerful beings vanished, Klein concluded that the Lord of Evil Desires and Raphael were distinct and neither controlled the other.

Raphael and his companions escaped the platform with help from the Lord of Evil Desires and the Fool, then Raphael shared his suspicions about the Underworld Emperor’s journey to the Forsaken Land of the Gods. He left Audrey with the theory that Yalix was waiting to help the Emperor return after his revival.

• Raphael brought Audrey, Fors, and Emlyn safely back to the real world, and they praised the Fool for saving them.
• Raphael paid Emlyn the promised three thousand pounds and arranged for Audrey and Fors to receive their remuneration from Dwayne Dantès.
• Audrey asked Raphael to explain his thoughts about Yalix and the platform, and he said the Underworld Emperor had likely used the teleportation array to visit the Forsaken Land of the Gods.
• Raphael reasoned that the Death pathway’s influence there suggested the Underworld Emperor had made arrangements that allowed the Death God’s power to reach the Forsaken Land of the Gods.
• Raphael told Audrey that Yalix was likely waiting for the Underworld Emperor to revive in the Forsaken Land of the Gods and return to the Northern Continent.

Raphael completed his Wraith advancement after surviving a ritual that drew him toward the Netherworld. He learned that the Mother Tree of Desire had hidden forces on Earth and planned to hunt them after becoming a demigod.

• Audrey considered Raphael’s theory about the Underworld Emperor’s resurrection, while Susie warned her not to follow strange ideas.
• Raphael paid Emlyn White, then told the Iron and Blood Cross Order to offer a Marionette Beyonder characteristic if they wanted to recover their Hunter pathway characteristics.
• Raphael had Wagner use Creeping Hunger and Harvest to put him into a near-death state, then transferred the fatal wounds and asked Wagner to repeat the process two days later.
• Raphael completed his advancement ritual, gathered the supplementary ingredients, drank the Wraith potion, and regained his senses before entering the Netherworld.
• The Oldest One gave Raphael the Marionette potion formula and confirmed that the Mother Tree of Desire had hidden forces on Earth.
• Raphael learned he could locate the Mother Tree of Desire’s subordinates using the Dark Hut and vowed to hunt them after advancing to demigod.

After advancing to Wraith, Raphael examined his new abilities and discovered that his connection to the Dark Hut had deepened, giving him greater power and control. He left the chapter satisfied with his advancement and beginning to explore the limits of that connection.

• Raphael tested his Wraith forms and assessed Wraith Possession, deciding that Spirit World ambushes followed by Harvest suited him better.
• Raphael examined his new abilities, including Wraith Shriek, Wraith Entanglement, Spirit World Traversal, Mirror Jump, Ice Crystal Arrow, and improved divination and intuition.
• Raphael entered the Dark Hut in Wraith Form and discovered that his entire self could enter it, though restraint could prevent him from doing so.
• Raphael sat in the chair and found that he could reshape part of the Dark Hut and embody more of its power, strengthening the phantom he could summon.

Raphael renovated the part of the Dark Hut he controlled and learned that Sorn City was nearing a battle against Bidisis, prompting him to consider investing in its defenders. The chapter ended with Klein returning to Sefirah Castle and preparing to begin a Tarot Club meeting.

• Raphael transformed his corner of the Dark Hut into a crystal hall and reshaped the Astral Body pool into a pool of blue crystals.
• Raphael watched a Nois Family Demon who worshiped the Mother Tree of Desire, but decided he could not yet risk attacking him.
• Zed told Raphael that Bidisis's forces were approaching Sorn City and that the city faced a battle with only three weakened demigods against four or five demigods.
• Raphael observed Sorn City's war council, found that only its high priest had been parasitized by Amon's avatars, and marked the other leaders for future observation.
• Raphael considered using the Dark Hut to support and transport Sorn City's Beyonders, and decided the coming battle should be won decisively.
• Klein returned to Sefirah Castle, signaled Sun to prepare, and conjured the World for the Tarot Club meeting.

At the Tarot Club, the members discussed Loen’s worsening position in the war and the serial murders of grain merchants in Backlund. Leonard shared the investigation’s clues and theories, but the killer’s identity remained unknown.

• Xio reported that MI9 was recruiting unaffiliated Beyonders as Loen struggled to defend its long front.
• Alger predicted that Loen would suffer a major rout within two or three months and explained that the recruits would help cover the losses of a retreat.
• Leonard revealed that investigators had linked the grain merchants’ murders through an oil painting titled “Greed” and clues referencing “Devil” and “Gluttony.”
• Audrey asked whether the murders followed the Seven Deadly Sins, and Leonard said investigators suspected a Devil or Desire Apostle was exploiting the weakened Official Beyonders.
• Leonard explained that the victims had hoarded enough grain to feed Backlund for half a year, while their heirs refused to sell it and the murders had not lowered bread prices.
• Leonard proposed that the killer might be digesting a Devil or Desire Apostle potion by targeting corrupt merchants, and Audrey compared the unusual method to Raphael’s approach to potion digestion.

At the Tarot Club, Audrey shared Raphael’s conjecture about Yalix and asked whether to report what she had learned to the Evernight Church. After the gathering, Klein’s divinations pointed to the Lord of Evil Desires, whose emissary then arrived in Sorn City and stunned the Amon avatar.

• Audrey described her expedition with Raphael and said she was unsure whether to tell the Church about what they had discovered.
• The World advised Audrey to leave Raphael alone if he had not harmed ordinary people, while keeping watch on him.
• Audrey explained Raphael’s theory that Yalix was waiting for the Underworld Emperor’s return, and Cattleya suggested the Forsaken Land’s teleportation array might now be usable only by true gods.
• After the Tarot Club ended, Klein divined that the Lord of Evil Desires was connected to the matter and sent a projection of himself into the Forsaken Land of the Gods.
• In Sorn City, Zed performed a ritual to welcome the Lord of Evil Desires’ emissary, who appeared as a young man, leaving the Amon avatar shocked to recognize Raphael.

Raphael descended into Sorn City as the Lord of Evil Desires’ Oracle and questioned Amon’s avatar about the coming battle. Amon’s avatar withdrew from the city and left the High Priest dead, forcing Raphael to reconsider how Sorn City would fight.

• Raphael arrived at Sorn City’s sacrificial hall, and the priest Zed and the city’s leaders knelt to welcome him as an Oracle.
• Raphael met Amon’s avatar, speaking through the High Priest, and asked how many avatars it would commit to the battle.
• Amon’s avatar announced that it would leave Sorn City because Raphael’s arrival had changed its plans, and Raphael told it to remove every avatar.
• The High Priest collapsed and died as Amon’s avatar departed; Raphael told Zed to say the High Priest had already been controlled by a sinister force.
• Raphael summoned Speaker Hadden Hawk and asked which god Sorn City had worshipped when the Great Cataclysm began.

Raphael questioned Sorn City's leaders about its lost religious history and arranged reinforcements for its war, while considering whether the Evernight Goddess had concealed an earlier faith. After Raphael departed through a ritual, Sorn City's people regarded his disappearance as a miracle.

• Raphael learned that Sorn City had no surviving records of its earliest faith and considered whether the Evernight Goddess had concealed worship of the Ancient Sun God.
• Raphael asked whether Sorn City's war with Bidisis City-State began around the time they worshipped the True Creator, but Hadden could provide no clear record.
• Raphael ordered Hadden to compile lists of Sorn City's Beyonders and Sealed Artifacts so he could arrange reinforcements.
• Raphael reminded Hadden and Zed that Sorn City would have to fight for the Lord of Evil Desires when called upon.
• Raphael gave Zed a prayer to use in a ritual, then vanished from the altar as Zed performed it.
• Sorn City's leaders praised the Lord of Evil Desires and recognized Raphael's departure as a miracle.

Raphael arranged for the Master of the Shadow Cottage to send seven Dark Hut disciples to help in a battle on another continent, offering them the spoils they won and a chance to obtain rare resources. After arriving at Dark Hut Headquarters as Zhou Fei, Raphael began briefing the selected disciples on the realm they would enter.

• Raphael decided to recruit Dark Hut disciples from the Western Continent after Amon refused to help and Sorn City faced an enemy with greater numbers.
• Raphael offered the Master of the Shadow Cottage a chance to obtain Mystical Items and Beyonder Characteristics in exchange for sending seven disciples, including at least two late-stage deification cultivators.
• The Master of the Shadow Cottage accepted, seeing the mission as a chance for the Dark Hut to gain resources and learn about another realm.
• Raphael arrived at Dark Hut Headquarters as Zhou Fei and met Xiao Shouzhen, who escorted him to the seven selected disciples.
• Raphael told the disciples that the realm they were about to visit had only night and no day.

Raphael briefed seven elite Dark Hut disciples on the dangers and forces in the Forsaken Land of the Gods, then drank the Devil potion to prepare for the coming battle. After advancing safely, he learned how to approach the Chaos Sea and discovered that combining his Wraith and Devil forms had granted him two composite abilities.

• Raphael explained the Forsaken Land's darkness, contaminated food, enemy forces, and Beyonder characteristics to Xiao Shouzhen and seven Dark Hut disciples, who prepared to join the battle.
• Raphael took the Devil characteristic and drank the potion ahead of the battle in Sorn City, enduring visions of the Abyss and destructive impulses before regaining control.
• The Oldest One told Raphael that he would learn what the Evernight Goddess had done in the Forsaken Land and explained how a Uniqueness and suitable medium could allow someone to approach the Chaos Sea.
• Raphael examined his new Devil abilities, including offensive powers, Malice Perception, and Language of Foulness.
• Raphael combined his Wraith and Devil forms and discovered that he had gained two composite abilities.